The Little Coffee Shop of Aaa
by Screenplay101
Summary: Fionna is 17 and has a part time job working at a coffee shop and is also an official knight for the Candy Kingdom! Flame Prince has been locked in a tower for his whole life instead of a lantern. What will happen when the two of them happen to meet? A Romeo and Juliet-esque love story. /Some/ canon events & conversations. Hints of FionnaxGumball unrequited love.
1. Chapter 1: A Fleeting Adventure

In the curious land of Aaa, every day was nothing short of an adventure.

"Oh, _glob_. I'm gonna be late for my shift!" Fionna the Human groaned, deftly slashing away at a handful of some gruesome zombie creatures moaning and lurching toward her in the cemetery.

"Watch out, girl! Icky dude coming in at 11 o'clock!" belted Cake the Cat, Fionna's right-hand girl and adopted sister.

The two girls were out on a daily adventure to rescue Slime Prince, who had been captured by some very unusual beings of the undead. Fionna, in her white bunny ears hat and golden side bangs, knocked down the zombies one-by-one as Cake wielded a fire torch to scorch the monsters in defense.  
Fionna, now currently at the age of 17, had concurred with the idea of obtaining some sort of job. Why in Glob's name…. she had no idea. Fionna thought that maybe it would be nice to have a brand new challenge in her life. So, along with being Knight-in-Chief for Prince Gumball, she decided to score a job interview in the Candy Kingdom Coffee Shop, Coffee of Aaa.

She got the job. But boy… was she kind of regretting it now.

"Cake! I have to be at the Candy Kingdom in," She peered down at a sturdy watch on her fair wrist. "Four minutes!"

Cake swung her blazing torch back and forth and pretended to fence with the torch, sending zombies revolting away.

"Alright, _alright!_ " Cake bellowed. "Let's pick up the pace then!"

"It's zombie-fighting time!" Fionna began vigorously slicing through zombie bodies, but they seemed to be emerging rapidly from the ground with no end.

"How many are there?" Fionna heaved, holding her stance and scanning the immense crowd before her. She figured there must've been at least one hundred zombies and counting. The adventurer had a revelation and realized that they were attempting to achieve the impossible. Why was Cake and she trying to annihilate all of the zombies? They should be focusing on rescuing Slime Prince; the zombies were just going to _keep regenerating_.

"Cake! Lift me up!" Fionna shouted in the direction of her cat. Cake stretched her limbs over to Fionna, who climbed atop of Cake. "We're running out of time! The zombies are just going to keep coming back, so we need to get Slime Prince and go!"

Cake nodded, "Sounds like a plan, Stan. But _you_ can pick him up. I'm not touching that slimy prince!" The cat shuddered at the thought. Cake's legs grew skyward and towered over the army of monsters as Fionna's eyes were set on the Prince of Slime contained in a small cage. Cake headed toward the back of the cemetery where the prince of slime was held captive. Fionna arched her back over Cake's lemon-meringue colored body and grasped her fingers over the metal top of the cage. She bent up and held the cage tightly in her clutch as Cake maneuvered swiftly back through the zombie mob.

Fionna's felt her stomach drop as she glimpsed at the ever-ticking hands of her pre-Mushroom war watch. (Given to her by Marshall Lee, but that was another story.) _Oh, jingle-blaster!_ Fionna tensed up as her time dwindled down to a mere minute and thirty seconds until she had to be at work.

"Caaaaaake!" Fionna's voice reverberated while her cat zipped out of the vicinity. The sun of Aaa was perched in the late one o'clock PM sky. "A minute and a half!" Fionna yelled over the _whoosh_ of the winds flying into her face.

"I'm going top speed, girl! My buns are going to fall off if I go any faster!" Cake clamored.

As they zoomed past their own tree-house, Fionna could see the Candy Kingdom in the not-too-far -distance. As it approached, Fionna readied herself to hop off, and Cake climbed around the top of the kingdom walls and into the Candy village.

"Twenty seconds!" Fionna warned peaking down at her watch once more.

"Ya, ready, Fi?" Cake traversed the town of small shops, bending her body round and round, nearing the coffee shop.

"Ready, Freddy!" Fionna shouted. Fionna hopped herself off of Cake, somersaulted through the air and sloppily, landed on top of the candy roof. "Oof, oh, zim-zam." Fionna 'cursed' as she sprung herself off the roof and onto the road, in front of the back entrance.

"I'll take care of Slime Prince, you just go!" Fionna heard Cake above her.

She pushed open the door and into the employee entry, deftly putting her card into the small machine on the wall, officially clocking in for the day. Fionna let out a large breath, soothing her nerves.

Fionna's glanced at her watch once again; two o'clock on the dot. Nailed it.

* * *

"Order up! Two double whipped cream soy lattes! For…. Gummy and Tooty?" Fionna asked as the Candy people nodded and she placed two steaming coffee cups down on the table in front of her. The two candy people, one a gumdrop and one a chocolate covered strawberry, gratefully picked up their cups and sipped away, staring into each other's eyes adoringly.

Fionna stepped back over to her post at the main counter, grinning to herself. It was currently seven PM. She had one hour (out of her total 6 hours) left in her shift on a Tuesday evening. It was couple's night and Fionna admired the pairs of Candy people appreciating each other's company and fancying one another.

Fionna sighed and leaned on the hard countertop.

For the longest time, she used to have a crush on the prince of the Candy Kingdom, Prince Gumball. From age thirteen on, she would always crave being around him and adore the way he spoke to her. She had always thought of him as a potential love interest, but she never understood what Gumball, who was five years older, had thought of her.

 _He thought of me as some sort of joke_ , Fionna thought, but she shook the thought away.

Prince Gumball was different now, and besides, she was totally over him. In fact, Fionna had strayed from any sort of feelings of romantic attraction after the immense crush on Gumball. She didn't know how to evaluate her feelings toward someone and she never truly felt that anyone except Cake thought of her as… well, herself.

She wanted someone to see her as Fionna, not a joke, or just someone's knight, or someone's sister. Herself.

The tiny bell of the Coffee of Aaa's front door jingled as a customer stepped in and briskly approached the counter. It was a tiny flame creature, whom Fionna believed was considered a Flambit, who walked on all fours, and dressed in a small black cloak. When it reached the counter, it propped itself up on two legs.

"Hello, welcome to Coffee of Aaa, what may I-" Fionna began to utter the same words she said to every customer .

"Can it, blondie." The creature, who appeared to be female, had a very thick Bronx accent. "Get me a tall, apple spice latte, and make it _snappy_." Fionna was a bit taken aback. Such a small creature had such a big mouth! Fionna opened her mouth to speak back in the same sassy tone, but didn't. The customer was _always_ right.

"Who's it for?" Fionna muttered in the kindest voice possible.

"Hmm, let's just say it's for a guy named Ignitus." The Flambit responded. _Ignitus_ , Fionna thought to herself. _Cool name_ , as she wrote it on the cup in a black marker.

After pouring in the hot coffee and adding the apple syrup and spices, Fionna popped on the plastic lid and slid it on the pickup counter. The Flambit prodded over to the counter and slid the correct change on the counter before Fionna, paying for the drink.

"The name's Flamba, for your information… Fionna." The Flambit informed Fionna, looking at the nametag pinned on her white apron. "And this drink better be good. 'Cuz if it's not, someone is going to be very unhappy, and it won't just be Ignitus." Flamba spat as she turned on her heel and absconded the coffee shop, leaving Fionna perplexed at what had just happened.

Who was this Ignitus guy? And why was it so important for him to enjoy this drink? Fionna wondered as she wiped down the counter top in front of her. It was very peculiar for a fire elemental to show up randomly in the Candy Kingdom.

 _But hey_ , Fionna thought to herself, _at least it's something new and interesting in this little coffee shop of Aaa._


	2. Chapter 2: The Prince and His Knight

"Salutations, Fionna!" Prince Gumball greets Fionna at the front door of his cake-like castle. Gumball, with his perfectly gelled magenta hair and crown, was dressed in an outfit that differed from his usual formal attire. He had on a very rounded, metal, astronaut-looking suit. Fionna could only wonder what the occasion was as he stood in the foyer of the palace in front of her.

"Uh, what's that you got there, PG?" Fionna thought out loud, pacing around Gumball to get a better look at the outrageous armor.

"It's my flame protecting suit!" He beamed gazing at Fionna. "Made it myself," Fionna was a bit surprised. Even though Gumball had an interest in science, he was more of the innovative-baker type. "…with a bit of help from some of the best engineers from the surrounding kingdoms of course." There we go.

"So… that means we're jumping into a… volcano?" Fionna inquired, poking at the metal stomach plate.

"Ha-ha!" The prince laughed heartily. "Not this time, but our destination does involve an extremely hot climate!"

Fionna had received a video call that morning from Gumball that he needed her for another mission today. Usually they were mundane and involved diplomatic issues… and almost always were. But Fionna's job was to protect the prince from any facet of danger, wherever he may be. She was the head knight.

Gumball said a hot climate… that _must_ mean the…

"The Fire Kingdom." The two spoke simultaneously. They glanced at each other and burst out laughing with smiles spread upon their face.

"That truly _is_ incredible, Fionna." The prince cooed and it made Fionna's heart jump. When the prince said things like _that_ , it made her like him. That way of speaking never ceased to amaze her and give her goosebumps. When the prince complimented her, it made Fionna have a crush on him.

"You _know_ there is a…." Gumball went on to explain the statistic of how many people speak simultaneously per day. Fionna's heart sunk and suddenly lost her interest in Gumball again, remembering how he only talks about science and analyzing data in the first place.

"But anyhow, let's get a move on then. We shall take my sky bird, Morrow." Gumball led Fionna outside of the castle doors and used his two front fingers to whistle a sharp note. Fionna watched him do this an attempted to whistle using the same technique, but failed miserably.

The large bird ascended down from the large tree atop the castle and perched in front of the prince and his knight. The prince scrambled up the bird in his bulky outfit and straddled its back. He extended his arm out to Fionna.

"Ready to go?" He spoke softly with a smile.

* * *

"There it is. The Fire Kingdom." Prince Gumball announced as the hawk-like fowl landed just on the outskirts where the temperature wasn't completely unbearable. The prince slid off the bird followed by Fionna, who looked warily at the scorching lava pools and the looming volcano-like palace in front of them.

"Uh… how am I going to go in there without going " _booom?"_ Fionna acted out, with her hands, her exploding from the flames. Prince Gumball laughed.

"Oh, don't worry. I arranged for one of the fire elementals here to place a flame shield on you." As Gumball spoke, a pattering of footsteps ascended the slope before them. It was a Flambit. _The_ Flambit.

"It's yous again! Faith, right? No, no- _Fitonia_. Hmm… Pneumonia? " Flamba rattled on with a hand rubbing her chin.

" _Fionna_." The blonde adventurer pronounced slightly aggravated while adjusting her backpack on her shoulders.

"And she's with me. May I ask how you know her?" Prince Gumball politely prodded with an inkling of curiosity.

"We met yesterday at that little coffee joint in the Candy Kingdom. Very nice." Flamba profoundly added.

"Yes, only the finest in my kingdom!" The prince beamed, glancing at Fionna, who slightly blushed.

"Yeah, yeah… heh. It was a very tasteful drink this dame made me… Or so I heard. I guess I can do that spell on yous now. You know, to repay you." Flamba spoke fluently and then commenced to recite strange snake-like words that resembled hisses and created luminescent runes around her. When Flamba finished, she collected a bit of saliva in her mouth and spat onto Fionna's forehead, creating a small circular burn mark.

"AH-hot!" Fionna mumbled with a scrunched nose and began to rub the mark on her fair skin. Fionna could feel herself get slightly colder and she, as well as all of her clothes, turned an azure shade of blue.

"Thank you, Flamba." The Prince said nodding his head in appreciation. Flamba thought nothing of it and turned around to lead the prince and his knight into the Fire Kingdom and toward the palace of the King of Flames.

* * *

The sentries standing sturdy and unmoving at the front doors of the Fire Palace stepped aside for Flamba, Prince Gumball, and Fionna. They stepped into the threshold of the volcano-like castle. Before them was the throne room and perched in a grand throne made of hardened lava, sat the omnipotent Flame King. His cold eyes stood out against his firey head that was on top of a body of metallic armor.

Fionna felt slightly intimated while being watched by fifty or so fire elementals seated around the king on staircases that led into the castle.

Fionna looked at the firey beings staring down at her. If something were to happen to Prince Gumball, how would she be able to defeat people made of flames? Her iron sword wouldn't stand a chance against fire beings and would simply pass through them as if they were ghosts.

The circular room's light source was emitted from the walls, that were similar to glowing embers, and the people who were a natural light source. There were scattered windows on the walls, which showed the barren, lava-filled landscape outside.

As the three of them approached the king, whom Fionna thought looked rather impatient, Flamba bowed swiftly and then scurried away. Fionna saw Prince Gumball bow in respect for the ruler and she followed suit by lowering herself as well, before realizing that she probably should've curtsied instead.

As Fionna lifted herself up from the bow, she noticed a strange lantern hanging idly a several feet above the king's head. She wondered what the purpose of it was.

"Prince Gumball of the Candy Kingdom. You have finally arrived. I assume your journey was a most safe one?" The king inquired while adjusting the sacrosanct crown atop his head.

"Oh, the safest." The prince grinned. "This is one of my most trusted companions." He added while motioning to Fionna, whom smiled proudly. " _Fionna the Human_ is the chief knight of the Candy Kingdom."

"Hi." Fionna peeped with a slight wave of the hand, not sure what was appropriate to say in front of the powerful royal.

"So, let us begin with the negotiation of whether we should enact the Candy/Fire Dual Protecting Power Act…" Gumball proceeded to discuss whether the Fire and the Candy Kingdom should come together to protect the Goblin Kingdom. Fionna drifted off, not being able to listen to such boring talk of politics. Fionna started to contemplate what she thought Cake was going to make for dinner….

A sudden light appeared in the corner of Fionna's peripheral vision. She turned her attention over to a triangular-shaped doorway at the top of one of the staircases leading deeper into the palace.

It was a peculiar fire elemental peeking through the doorway, obviously attempting to be inconspicuous. Fionna could just make out with her vision that it was a boy, dressed in a black cloak with the hood up.

Fionna tilted her head up and squinted at the luminescent figure trying to capture the attention of the mysterious figure. It was successful and the figure stepped back in surprise. That wasn't Fionna's intention; she had wanted the figure to step forward so she'd be able to see him. The figure returned into the shadows, hidden.

Fionna, in defeat, turned her attention back to Gumball who was still debating furiously back and forth with the Flame King. She was starting to get seriously bored and was expecting some sort of adventure or enemy fighting.

Fionna emitted a sigh that was just loud enough for Prince Gumball to hear. Gumball glanced over to her and smiled in understanding. He cleared his throat.

"I apologize, Flame King. It seems as though this negotiation may have to be postponed; I expected it to run a bit shorter. There are actually matters I have to attend to in the Candy Kingdom… very shortly. But, my Biennial Gumball Ball has come around again and is only in a matter of days. You are very welcome to attend on Friday if you wish." Prince Gumball explained courteously while bowing once again.

Fionna bowed. "That's right. Friday!" She added while giving a small chuckle. _Wow, did I really have to say that I sounded so stupid._ Fionna thought while she smiled at the Flame King, who nodded.

"Thank you for the offer, but I have to decline." The king replied. "Enjoy your gathering."

"Thank you for your time." Prince Gumball bowed.

Fionna trailed Gumball as he exited the palace.

"Thanks." Fionna said to Gumball who looked back at her and smiled.

"Yeah, I didn't want to bore my best knight to death, now would I?" He replied. Fionna appreciatively smiled back at him.

She turned her head and looked back into the palace once again before the sentries closed the doors behind them. Fionna noticed that same strange fire elemental back in the triangular doorway, peeking through and staring longingly at the two of them leave to return to the Candy Kingdom once again.


	3. Chapter 3: The BGBB pt1

Several days passed after the journey into the blazing Fire Kingdom and Fionna the Human had continued her part time job at the Coffee of Aaa. It wasn't a difficult job, but it was busy enough to keep her running around like a rampant chicken for a few 6 hours a day.

News had somehow spread that Fionna was one of the best coffee-blenders in all of Aaa. Business began to boom in the small shop, so much that extra hands had to be hired. There really was never a dull moment for Fionna.

Every day like clockwork, Flamba would traverse through the front door around seven PM to obtain the same order, claiming it was for some character named "Ignitus." Clearly, Ignitus, along with everyone in the two mile radius, seemed to relish in Fionna's coffee-making skills.

It was ten to eight on Friday evening at the quaint shop. The coffee joint was practically desolate with the exception of one elderly cookie man seated in a plush booth in the back, completing the daily Candy Kingdom crossword puzzle that was supplied by Turtle Prince.

Fionna usually had another Candy person to cover the shift after her, but everyone would be attending the Biennial Gumball Ball. Thus, tonight she would close the shop early at eight PM, when her shift ended, instead of its usual midnight closing time.

Fionna was expected to arrive at Gumball's castle around 8:30, so she knew she would really have to hightail it out of the shop to allow enough time for Cake to doll Fionna up and make it on time to the ball.

At five minutes to eight, Fionna glanced discreetly at the Candy citizen and attempted to send him a "please, leave now" mental message using her brain…. It didn't work.

"Uh, excuse me, sir?" Fionna's sweet voice was a violent shout in the silent room. The cookie man looked up curiously, awaiting her response. "We're closing soon, so now would be the time to make any final purchases before I close up shop."

The senile Candy person, who understood her underlying meaning, nodded silently and deftly folded up his small crossword before heading out of the coffee shop doors. Fionna's eyes followed the man as he strode down the lamppost-lit cobblestone street. She sauntered over to the front door and flipped over the "open" sign to the "closed" side.

Fionna scurried over to the counter and flung off her white apron onto the floor. She snatched the mop and bucket and began to furiously mop around the customer tables and chairs.

"Squish, squish, swish, swish!" Fionna sung while parading around in circles. "Mopping the floors, yeah, we're mopping the floors. Mopping the floor to get out of the door!" Fionna brought the bucket back under the main counter and promptly began to wipe off the counters with a wet rag.

She then proceeded to go into the small, employee room (that was more like a storage room) where she hung up her previously flung apron. Fionna grabbed her employee card and put it in the machine on the wall, clocking out for the day.

* * *

"Ow, ow, ow, OWWW-OWWW-OWWWWWW." Fionna droned on as Cake tugged her flowing locks with a wide toothed comb, trying to tame the wild beast that Fionna called her hair.

The two girls were sitting on the couch in their tree-house in front of a tall mirror with a bunch of beauty supplies spread out on the coffee table in front of them.

"It's not my fault! If you threw a brush through your hair every once in a while we wouldn't have this problem!" Cake replied while untangling all the knots as Fionna held back tears of pain.

Cake set down the comb and shrunk down to mouse size and dove into Fionna's hair. Cake morphed into a dolphin shape and "swam" through the golden layers. She stopped as she reached the ends of Fionna's hair and lifted them up with her pearl-colored flippers and examined the tips.

"You got some _nasty_ split ends down here, honey!" Cake pointed out. Fionna cried out in exasperation and stood up, sending Cake flying to the floor as she returned to normal proportions.

"It's okay, Cake. I'll just wear my hat, I guess." Fionna surrendered, going to snatch up her white bunny ears hat. Cake grabbed the hat and stopped her.

" _I. Spent. All. That. Time. Brushing_." Cake enunciated. "What if you meet some new handsome prince?" Cake's body contorted into a lovely curved lady figure. "You'll want to flaunt a new _hair-do_ for the new _"love-me-do"_ …"Cake trailed off all giddy. Fionna rolled her eyes. She always wore her hat, no-matter-what. There was no time and place she wouldn't. Case closed.

"Fine, I won't wear it, then." Fionna gave in, defeated against Cake's wishes. Albeit her opposing feelings told her to wear the hat, it _was_ a _special_ occasion after all. Besides, she hadn't attended the Biennial Ball since she was only thirteen years old.

"Ye-es!" Cake cheered as she grew a few more flimsy arms from her body to weave Fionna's hair into a long French braid with a large white bow at the bottom. Cake had learned this from a Pre-Mushroom War book on ancient beauty tips she had found while on an adventure with Fionna.

Fionna gazed into the tall mirror in front of her and sifted through her side bangs around to lie perfectly across her forehead. Cake smiled at her sister as she applied a bit of mascara through Fionna's eyelashes and Cake then brushed some through her own eyelashes, batting them in a flirt-like manner.

"Wait, Cake, aren't you coming to the ball, too? You were invited by Gumball!"

"Yeah, I was. But it's _your_ night, sweetie! And you're seventeen now... I don't want to be in your way." Fionna could feel her eyes beginning to well up a bit.

"Aw, Cake! That's so glopping sweet!" Fionna smiled as a tear ran down her cheek, almost managing to smear her eye makeup.

"Not the mascara! Aw, Fi, it's no problem, really. Besides, Lordy's gonna come over later to keep me company!" Cake admitted while fixing up some of Fionna's mascara. Lord Monochromicorn was Cake's boyfriend, and was, actually, the father of her kittens.

Cake then continued to paint a bit of pink lipstick onto the adventurer's plush lips. The cat stepped back to take a look at Fionna the Human and was astounded as she said,

"Fionna, you look gorgeous!" Cake marveled with her eyes growing larger in delight. "Why don't we doll you up more often?"

"I feel…very feminine." Fionna turned her head side to side, looking at her new hairstyle. It was no hat, but it did pull her hair back well enough to be able to fight if she needed to.

"That's the point!" Cake replied with a smile, before looking at the clock on the kitchen-wall clock.

"Oh, Glob. We have five minutes, go get dressed! And be careful with those heels!" Cake warned as Fionna climbed up the wooden ladder up the tree trunk and into the bedroom to change. Fionna had not seen the dress Cake had gotten her, and when she spotted it laid out on her bed, Fionna's eyes widened.

"Oh-"

* * *

" **-** MY GLOB, FIONNA. YOU LOOK REALLY HOT." Lumpy Space Prince yelled at Fionna over the pulsing bass of the dance music playing in the background.

Fionna had only arrived in the Candy Kingdom a mere 10 minutes late, but it was still enough to be fashionably late. Holding onto her dress and balancing on her fairly short heels, she strode through the palace doors, through a large dining hall full of socializing people and assorted appetizers, and then she stopped when she reached the grand doors of the newly innovated ballroom inside Prince Gumball's castle.

She stood at the top of the grand staircase staring, simply spellbound by the interior architecture of the new addition to the castle. It hadn't been there the last time she had attended Gumball's Biennial Ball when she was thirteen. (The party had been cancelled when she was fifteen due to an unexpected invasion of a group of anarchic Lemon people from Lemongrab's kingdom.)

Fionna was positioned at the top of the staircase that led down onto the dance floor when she had been confronted by LSP. She glanced down at her elegant peach layered gown that had long lace sleeves.

"Thanks, LSP!" Fionna laughed while adjusting her small white purse on her shoulder and glancing at his black bowtie and odd "hair"style the prince of Lump Space had attempted at. "Nice… comb over?" She hoped that's what it was called.

LSP looked at Fionna with large eyes and his lip quivered. He cried out with a fake sob. "…Thank you, _Fionna._ " He whispered as he began to float away back down to the dance floor with his arms spread out and eyes closed shut. Fionna blinked in shock. She knew LSP could be weird, but that was just… strange.

Fionna looked from the top of the staircase out into the crowd of assorted Candy people and other miscellaneous guests Gumball had invited from other kingdoms, such as LSP, other Princes, Tree Trunks….

And then there was Marshall Lee.

"MARSHAAAAAL!" Prince Gumball bellowed as he stormed into the ballroom from the garden doors outside. Gumball hadn't noticed until now that the formal, violinist music had been replaced by a heavy dance mix blasting through the speakers that were hung in the corners of the ceiling.

The half-demon/half-vampire with his black locks floated on top of the heads of the guests, pretending to body-surf. Gumball stared at him furiously while Fionna chuckled at Marshall's nonchalant facial expression.

Marshall Lee was one of Fionna's best friends whom she had the utmost trust in. Occasionally, Cake and she would listen to Marshall jam out on his guitar, or he would accompany them on adventures. They never had a dull moment when they hung out together. The vampire especially loved to pull cruel pranks on the adventurer and her cat sister.

Fionna raced down the long, carpeted, marble staircase and onto the dance floor, where Marshall spotted her out of the corner of his eye immediately.

"Fionna!" He said, sliding over her head with a seemingly all-knowing smirk. He was wearing one of his semi-formal outfits (that differed from his usual plaid button-down) that consisted of a white button down shirt, grey vest and black dress pants. "Look at you! You look so-"

"Stupid? Yeah, I know. Cake made me wear it." She admitted, glancing down once again. Fionna looked up at Marshall Lee, who looked extremely handsome in the attire that he seldom wore.

"Well, I was gonna say "pretty," but, yeah, I guess that works, too." Marshall raised his eyebrows and floated away saluting her with a wave of his hand. Fionna rolled her eyes. _Same old Marshall_.

She proceeded toward the center of the dance floor, amidst the crowd of grooving guests of all colors and shapes. Colored lights danced atop the heads of the moving bodies like twirling fairies. Different arrays of perfumes tickled Fionna's nose as she passed the formally dressed beings, in search of what, she didn't know.

Fionna began to individually look at the guests on the dance floor. She saw people of the likes of the Candy Kingdom, such as Starcha, Cinnamon Bun, Lollipop Boy, and others. Fionna noticed some people from other miscellaneous kingdoms, such as the Wildberry kingdom, the Breakfast kingdom, and people that appeared to be from small farming villages near the forest regions of Aaa. It seemed as though almost every kingdom had been somehow represented.

Except... For the Fire Kingdom?

Fionna scanned the crowd for any bright, flaming beings, but to no avail, she could not spot any. The very classy prince of the Candy Kingdom scrambled around desperately attempting to force Marshall to turn off the "infernal music."

Fionna had to disagree with the prince this time; she actually was enjoying the alternative style of music. The music consisted of BMO-esque electronic choruses, a bass line that coursed through your body, and a beat that was simply mesmerizing. She could feel herself move to the music, become one with the song. Fionna closed her eyes and spun around, oblivious to the guests surrounding her beginning to recognize who she was.

"Fionna!"

"Fionna the Human!"

"Hi, oh my Gob, it's actually you!"

When Fionna finally opened her eyes, she found herself staring straight at a black-cloaked figure ascending the staircase carefully. _Was that the…_ Fionna's thoughts drifted off as she observed a glowing light emitting from the figure. _...the guy from the Fire Kingdom!_ What was he doing at the Biennial Ball? It seemed as though Fionna would have to go out of her way to find out and unmask the mysterious figure.


	4. Chapter 4: The BGBB pt2

**So, I just wanted to say thanks for all the kind reviews. This is the longest chapter so far, so please enjoy!**

*The term butler is not genderspecific.

Fionna slowly inched her way out of the vivacity-filled crowd and toward the marble staircase, managing to not trip on her gown in the stilts she called shoes. (Not really, they really were only an inch or so.) She could sense the anticipation swelling inside her; this person whom had been watching her in the Fire Kingdom had been on her mind lately.

She trudged up the pink, carpeted stairs and into the banquet hall that was elegantly adorned with balloons of the entire color spectrum, multi-faceted gem statues (that Fionna believed to be Rock Candy!) and long tables with punches, quiches of all kinds, and those mini hot dogs everyone seemed to drool over. And _of course_ , there was a special little section of desserts, courtesy of Prince Gumball, who made them with love.

The dining hall was rather packed, with clusters of guests munching or hovering over tables like watchdogs. Fionna scanned the room, unsure of the path the hooded boy had taken. She cautiously observed every corner of the room for any signs of black…she looked… and looked… and… there! A black hood was near a table toward the back of the room.

Fionna wiggled her way around people of all sorts, careful not to trip up and let someone's salsa be her new evening gown. However, all of the assorted snacks were causing Fionna to become rather peckish...

"No!" Fionna said out loud, causing a few people to turn their heads in curiosity. "You're on a mission. No snacking!" She peered at the black cloaked figure, who, as though they had seen Fionna, was beginning to exit the room hastily. "Not on my watch!"

The adventurer was as quick as a snowflake dissipating in the ocean when she maneuvered through the guests. In the hallway that neighbored the banquet hall, the black hood was briskly walking away toward the side near the windows, clearly attempting to be inconspicuous. Fionna entered the hallway, keeping one eye on the moving figure, and sprinted full speed ahead.

"Hey!" She shouted with a furrowed brow and a livid facial expression. "Hey! Come back here!" The hood continued forward, to no avail. Fionna knew that it would soon be a wild goose chase through the palace and demised a spur-of-the-moment plan.

Fionna, still advancing forward, managed to pluck off both of her heels, and chuck one of them at the hooded figure with precise aim. The hooded figure mumbled and stopped in it's tracks, rubbing it's head in response to the pain. _Gotcha,_ Fiona thought to herself.

Fionna ran forward with her bare feet on the soft carpet and stood over the hooded figure. This was it, the moment of truth. With her heels in the grasp of her one hand, Fionna pulled back the black hood with her other hand… only to see…

" _Lemongrab?!_ " Fionna jumped back in surprise with her feet grasping the floor in response. Lemongrab was infamous for being unstable mentally and psychically. There was absolutely no way she could've been invited.

" _You! You, you you_!" She literally spat into Fionna's face, who wiped away the sour spit away from her cheek. " _This wasn't supposed to_ _ **happen!**_ " Her face became red and her breathing became sharp. " _ **Unaccept-"**_

* * *

The banana guards dragged Lemongrab down the corridor, away from Fionna and Peppermint Butler* who both sighed in immense relief. Lemongrab had previously heard of the ball when news spread into the Lemon Kingdom, and was immediately irate when she discovered that she was not invited.

"Thank you, Fionna, for letting us know immediately of Lemongrab's presence here in the castle. The prince would have nearly blown a fuse if he had to deal with that extra stress!"

"Hey, no problem, Peppermint Butler. A knight's work is never over, I guess!" Fionna laughed at this whole predicament, but mainly at herself for believing that the hooded figure had actually been someone from the Fire Kingdom.

"Go enjoy the ball, Fionna!" Peppermint Butler advised, turning back around to resume positions in the castle. Fionna gave a sideways grin and breathed out deeply. _The ball, right._ It had seemed more like an adventure than an actual _party._

Fionna's ears perked up as the dance-club music immediately shut off and a trumpet fan-fair sounded from the ballroom. There was a bout of microphone static and Prince Gumball's voice echoed throughout the vicinity.

"Ladies and gentleman, thank you for coming out tonight and joining us in my Biennial Gumball Ball! I now proudly pronounce the initiation of the couples dance!" The crowd cheered following his brief intro and Fionna knew Gumball would probably kill her if she missed the important event.

She rushed back into the dining hall which was now empty. Fionna glanced at the mini hotdogs lying on the table and snatched one up and popped it into her mouth, while keeping a constant speed. _Mmmm._ They truly were irresistible. She decreased speed as she entered the top of the grand staircase.

The mass of guests was spread out evenly on the dance floor in two long rows. Each couple was parallel to each other and proceeding to bow simultaneously. Formal-sounding violin music began to play sweetly throughout the ballroom like butterflies smoothly flying through the air. Fionna promptly scaled down the stairs and desperately looked around for someone to dance with.

Most of the people here were taken and had their hands pressed together, dancing like two spinning dolls atop a music box. Prince Gumball, with a rather disappointed look, was dancing with Cinnamon Bun, whose sticky body appeared to be pressed tightly against the prince's body.

Fionna jumped in surprise as a cold finger tapped her on her bare skin, where the dress dipped down her back and was laced up with cloth material like an elegant shoe lace. She turned her head and there was Marshall Lee, this time standing on the ground like a normal person, with his arms crossed.

"Marshall!" She blurted out, blinking her eyes. "Why aren't you dancing?"

"Uh… the real question is…" Marshall went up closer to the girl and lowered his voice as if someone else was listening. "Why aren't you out there dancing with your man?" Marshall said into her ear as he positioned his head as if going to bite her neck and drink her red. Fionna shoved him back and sighed deeply.

"I was stalled. Found Lemongrab snooping around like a bonking creep. Besides, Gumball wouldn't want to dance with me anyway…" Fionna trailed off in a melancholic manner, looking down at her white heels. "He doesn't like me. He's made that clear _many_ times."

Marshall Lee tilted his head looking at Fionna and demising a plan. He grabbed Fionna's wrist tightly with his cold grasp and pulled her over to the now scattered clusters of couples twirling around the dance floor.

"Marshall…what?" Fionna inquired with her eyes widening. What was Marshall doing? Was he planning on biting her in the middle of these people to make a scene? Was he going to transform into his giant-bat demon form? Take over the palace? Summon Hunson Abadeer?

Marshall simply took one of her hands in his own hand and put his other hand on her waist.

"Follow my lead." Marshall whispered as he raised his eyebrows and began to improvise a spinning, waltz-like dance that mimicked the other couples' movements. Fionna went around in circles with Marshall Lee, as he navigated through the crowd.

Fionna's eyes were spinning but she could make out the direction Marshall was headed in; it was toward Prince Gumball. How could she go to him? She couldn't, it would make her look _so_ desperate.

"No-" She began to mutter, but the constant centrifugal turns was beginning making her really dizzy and she feared it may result in the mini hotdog coming up. Fionna could barely move her feet and she thought she may have stabbed Marshall's foot with her heel at one point, but he didn't respond to any pain.

Fionna couldn't concentrate on any thoughts. The whole moment was just a twirling vortex of ball gowns. Her life was riding on Marshall's shoulders, who was still guiding her on the extensive journey. The violin music became sharp notes piercing her mind.

 _Just make it stop, make it stop_. She repeated these thoughts in her head. Fionna couldn't handle the pressure building up inside her stomach, making her want to become unconscious to terminate the whole thing.

The next turn of events appeared to be, as cliché as it may sound, in slow motion.

As Marshall Lee, who seemed to be impervious to the dizziness, which was inflicted upon Fionna at the moment, approached Prince Gumball, who had had just enough dancing and was beginning to grow exhausted. The prince bowed to Cinnamon Bun and made his departure out of the dance floor. Marshall had not noticed this and continued to head in the prince's general direction.

"Ya, ready Fionna?" Marshall kept his voice low but just loud enough to hear over the music. Fionna mentally shook her head in disapproval but braced herself to what could possibly occur next.

Marshall took Fionna by the shoulders of her laced sleeved dress and shoved her in the general direction of a pink mass, whom he believed to be the prince. Fionna stumbled across the floor as several guests went moved to the side to protect themselves from the incoming adventurer about to fall on the ground. Even the pink-popsicle candy person, whom Marshall thought was Gumball, stepped out of the way.

Fionna had no clue as to what was happening. She was losing her balance and tripping up over her stupid heels and felt as though she was plummeting to the ground any second and-

Someone caught Fionna from her vortex of spinning doom and Fionna held on for dear life. She closed her eyes and held onto the gloved hands that were clasped so tightly onto her own. Fionna was bent over and she told herself to breathe.

Fionna took in a few steady breaths… _was that wood burning?_ She opened her eyes carefully and saw her dress in front of her with her heels in some sort of diagonal fashion on the floor. Still holding onto the unknown hands, she straightened her feet out and took notice of two black shoes poking out of a black cloak in front of her.

With another breath, Fionna tilted her head upward and her eyes widened. It was a sun. A glowing, brilliant, warm sun that burned beneath the dark void of his midnight cloak. The boy from the Fire Kingdom. Thousands of thoughts were trying to compute in Fionna's brain at once.

"Are-are you...okay?" The flame boy spoke in a scared voice. Based on his slightly deep voice, he sounded around the same age as her, but she couldn't quite tell. Out of the thousand thoughts going through her mind, only one managed to blurt out on its own.

"Hi." Fionna managed to squeak out of her while staring somewhat creepily at him. She tried to collect herself and figure out just what was happening.

This was the guy who was watching her at the Fire Kingdom, she was sure of it. He was… really cute. Wow. She must have had near-sightedness because up close he definitely was quite the looker. So there were two people in black cloaks at the ball… she really wished she had come across this guy first.

The fire boy blinked a few times, trying to grasp what was going on and why Fionna was staring at him. It was beginning to make him feel very uncomfortable. Fionna could only see a bright, burning guy who was irresistibly handsome. The thought was so overpowering it made Fionna neglect the fact that he probably snuck into the ball just like Lemongrab had; Prince Gumball had only invited the king and no one else from the Fire Kingdom.

"You are okay, right?" The fire boy iterated with a concerned expression. Fionna snapped out of her daze.

"Oh, uh, yeah. Fit as a fiddle!" Fionna awkwardly replied with a high pitched chuckle. The fire boy slightly smiled. _Wow, you're really adorable when you smile_. Fionna sighed internally. _Who are you?_

The fire boy held out a gloved hand as his eyes whispered, " _Do you want to dance_?" Fionna gratefully took his hand as the fire boy began to make slow steps in a box-shape, which she followed. It didn't make her dizzy, just appreciative of that fact that he could dance, very well for that matter.

The boy placed his other gloved hand on the small of her back, feeling the peach cloth that lay over her skin. Fionna didn't realize that the gloves must've been fireproof. She could only focus on one thing, this guy. Fionna had only seen him from a distance, but being up close to him… it overwhelmed her.

The warmth radiating off of him, the bright light emitted from him, the smoky smell of burning embers… it was intoxicating. Fionna couldn't get enough of it. They spoke no words, but their body movements and blushing glances at each other said _everything_.

The crowd loosened up a bit and Fionna could tell that people were beginning to leave the dance floor. She felt more exposed to everything around her when she didn't have masses of people surrounding her like a private barrier. Fionna wanted to know everything about the fire boy and try to drum up a conversation…. but that wasn't going to happen with everyone else staring at them like they were the elephants in the room.

Fionna dropped one of her hands from his side and pulled slightly with the other.

"Hey, come with me." She insisted jubilantly, guiding him over to the glass doors that led out into the castle gardens. Fionna began to slightly push the door ajar, but the flame boy beat her to it and held the door chivalrously. As she stepped out the door and into the chill air, Fionna grinned from ear to ear. _Wow_ , _he's really great_.

Fionna's heels clacked along the stone walkway that led into a moonlight garden where flowers of all sorts where planted alongside lovely oriental trees and shrubbery. The path waltzed through all the plants as Fionna led the way, with the fire boy trailing behind her. The crisp, night air whistled softly past Fionna's dress and gave her a chill.

She turned her head slightly and her eyes darted over to the fire boy behind her, who had pulled down his hood even more to block the winds. Fionna realized that he was literally made of fire, so wind was naturally a slight extinguisher. _Damn it._ She really hadn't thought this through.

Fionna figured that a place to escape would be inside the large green hedges which surrounded a large marble fountain, somewhere to sit and protect the flame boy from the winds. She made a sharp turn into the entrance to the fountain and spun around to see the fire boy standing beside her, glancing at her with a slight smile painted on his lips.

"Well, here we are! Thought this could be a nice place to sit and block out that cold wind…!" She chuckled nervously, waiting for some sort of reaction from the elemental. He scanned the little fountain area, then after a few moments, drew back his hood revealing his hair.

Fionna watched in awe as flames licked the top of his head. He had a glowing, firey Mohawk-type hairstyle that spiked up without having to use any gel. There was also a red gem placed at the top of his forehead; Fionna disregarded it and thought of it as some sort of fashion accessory.

"Whoa, your hair it's so… fiery." Fionna said walking around the boy who was being oddly silent. He watched her as if observing her, taking in her every movement, like a newborn seeing the world for the first time. The sway of her dress, the click of her heels…

Fionna realized that it was imperative to try really hard to make the boy talk now. She longed to get to know him, so she figured she'd better start with her name.

"So, uh, my name's Fionna." She chirped while pointing to herself.

"I know." The boy replied looking to the side awkwardly. Fionna figured he already knew, he _was_ the one watching her when Gumball introduced her to the king. But _why_ had he been watching her?

"How did you know?" Fionna inquired persistently, taking a step forward. The boy made of fire stepped backward toward the fountain.

"I-I-heard someone. At the ball." The boy managed to blurt out. She knew he was lying, he had definitely heard her name when she was at the Fire Kingdom. Ah, so that's how he found out about the _Biennial Ball_ then, when Gumball invited the king. Fionna was glad that the boy did, she really felt like she was getting somewhere.

"Hmm, I don't know. I'm _pretty_ sure I saw you watching me in the Fire Kingdom." Fionna took a step forward as the fire boy took another large step backward. What Fionna called "progress" was actually, unbeknownst to her, just being _very_ pushy and uncomfortable.

"What? How did you- I don't know what you're talking about." The fire boy began to grow irritated and was starting to grow redder as he was pressed up against the edge of the fountain.

"Admit it; it was you, spying on me! Why would you do that?" Fionna questioned, adding a bit of hurt in her words in attempt to make the boy fess up. The first step to getting to know someone was to make them feel pressured so they will reveal their true emotions… well, at least that's what it said in Jess T. Cattzone's novel, Mindgames, that Fionna had read one time late at night.

The boy's flames atop his head grew larger and his eyes grew red. Fionna could feel a warmer heat radiating off of him and became slightly frightened.

" _Just stop! I didn't spy on you!_ " His voice became a dire cry and Fionna could sense the emotion in his words. She was almost there.

"I _saw_ you though! You were wearing that black cape!" The boy's head, neck and arms turned into violent fire as Fionna stated her claims. "Why were you _snooping_ around? _Who are you_?"

Fionna looked at him with wide eyes that shone with the light from the _fiery creature_ in front of her. _Wait, what?_ She blinked out of her daze and realized what he had become.

The fireproof gloves on his hands burned to a crisp as the boy's temperature grew to extreme temperatures. Fionna was heating up fast and she felt several droplets of sweat on her forehead and chest. Fire poured from the boy and he purposefully lit the bushes on fire around the fountain. She couldn't believe that she had angered him so much that… _this_ happened.

The fire boy, now in a violent fire monster-mode, growled in rage and looked Fionna in the eye. With one of his hands ablaze, he grabbed onto Fionna's arm and pulled her forward.

Fionna screamed in pain as the fire burned through her lace sleeves and seared onto her skin. Tears poured from her eyes and she felt as though her arm would fall off.

" _ **Fine! It was me. But I was just interested in you!**_ " He screamed as Fionna shot her leg up and kicked him with such a strong force that he fell into the fountain behind him, immediately extinguishing him and creating a boiling pool of water.

Fionna looked at her arm that was held by the fire for at least 10 seconds or so; it was enough to leave a huge red and black mark with bits of her skin looking like something out of a horror movie. She had never felt any sort of pain like it but she took a deep breath and shot her eyes over to the fire boy underwater in the fountain.

The boy was entirely grey and lifeless, floating in the water. Fionna's heart raced and her eyes widened as she knelt down and tugged him out of the water with both arms, one in immense pain. She pulled him onto her lap, making her whole body soaking wet and held him in her arms.

His emotionless expression made him appear to be dead and Fionna felt as though she was about to faint. This boy was still handsome and was so sweet to her in the ballroom and… _He said he was interested in me?_ That's what the fire boy had confessed when he was in his super-angry-fire-monster-mode. Fionna smiled at him and her tears poured out of her eyes as her lip trembled.

But _she_ had done this to him. She had been so _insistent_ on finding out the truth she had pushed him too far. _It was all her fault._ She had been so rude and she had been making him extremely anxious and tense. _Why had she done that?_

"I'm so sorry. This is all my fault." She spoke depressingly to the unconscious fire boy. "I did this and…I don't even know who you are." Her head hung low over the boy that was lying on top of her legs.

As Fionna's eyes were closed, she felt heat coming from her lap again. The fire boy was becoming alive again like a dying ember being thrown into a blazing hearth. His temperature raised rapidly as his hair lit up again and Fionna promptly pushed him off of her to avoid being burned again.

The boy made of fire pulled himself to his feet carefully, stood facing away from Fionna, who was still sitting on the ground in her dress, and threw off his soaking black cloak to the ground. He looked over his shoulder and then fully turned around, towering over Fionna.

He was now wearing what appeared to be an orange sleeveless one piece jumper that stopped at his knees. It had two perpendicular red stripes going one horizontally and one vertically. There was another red gem at the neck and he was wearing tall black boots that matched the cape.

But he looked absolutely radiant beneath the dark sky. Fionna couldn't see a monster… just a boy. A boy who didn't know how to control his rage. He was passionate and… literally hot.

The fire boy pointed at her with a furrowed brow and a face of vexation. If he wanted to kill her… it probably would be an appropriate punishment for the anguish she had put him through.

"You!" He bellowed staring at her on the ground. Fionna felt majorly intimidated but not scared. "What's wrong with _me_ , huh?! You don't _like_ me!?"

"I like you!" Fionna yelled back in a contradictory tone. _I like him_ , she repeated in her head. After this whole catastrophe, no one would think that Fionna liked him… but she did.

The fire boy blinked back at her in surprise, his face dropping from its original tensed expression. He face became a pinkish shade… not red. Not long after however, he shook his head, ignoring the bubbly sensation he had began to feel and proceeded to think spiteful thoughts once again.

"What's _wrong with you_?" He shouted. The boy stepped over to Fionna and raised his hand to slap her. Fionna braced herself… but then… he… didn't? The fire boy sighed and put his hand down, stepping away from Fionna.

"Don't ever mess with me again." The boy made of flames pronounced assertively while staring at Fionna who could only innocently stare at him back. He turned into pure flames and instantly traveled away along the ground, out of sight.

* * *

Within minutes, a team of Candy Kingdom firefighters had come to the scene of the fire and had put it out. Fionna, now with a Candy nurse attending her wounds, watched and wondered if extinguishing the flames he manifested would hurt the fire boy. Prince Gumball came up to Fionna after discussing matters with Peppermint Butler and knelt down beside her.

"Fionna, how are you doing?" The prince glanced at her now dressed wounds. Fionna sighed.

"Alright, I guess. But, mainly confused. Who was that?" Fionna questioned the prince desperately. He knew that she had interacted with the flame boy in the garden, which ultimately led to the fire; he was surprised that she hadn't guessed who he had been.

"That was actually the uh, _Prince of the Fire Kingdom_." Gumball stated while awaiting her response.

Fionna blinked. The guy who had watched her from afar in the Fire Kingdom, caught her from falling, danced with her in the ballroom, courteously walked with her in the garden, only to turn into a fire monster and _burn_ _her_ along with the bushes and then almost slap her but _didn't,_ only to vanish into the night…

It looked like Fionna had a crush on the Prince of the Fire Kingdom.


End file.
